Green Line "E" Branch

The Green Line " E", or even Huntington Avenue Branch or Arborway Branch is an underground tram and a branch of the MBTA Green Line in the Boston area in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. Since 1985, the line from the Heath Street is " temporarily" suspended and is continued by the number 39 bus. In the section between Brigham Circle and Heath Street are the only remaining public tram tracks, which are still used regularly by the MBTA. All other trains operate on private property or on the parting strip.

In the north-east the Green Line E first moves on the parting strip of Huntington Avenue and then on the descent Northeastern Incline as subway by the Huntington Avenue Subway on. West of the station Copley, the route unites with that of the other Green Line branches and performs the Boylston Street Subway in the city center. The terminus of the Green Line E is Lechmere.

History

The first tram line in the catchment area of today's Green Line E was built in 1857 by the West Roxbury Railroad and leased immediately afterwards by the Metropolitan Railroad. The horse tram went along Tremont Street out of the downtown Boston and south on Columbus Avenue, Centre Street and South Street, only to end in Jamaica Plain at the depot. East of this line moved alongside another horse path along Washington Street from Dudley Square until after Forest Hills.

These routes have been electrified in 1891 and 1902 expanded to the depot at the Arborway, so that on this point a connection between the two sections was created. In 1903, the first train of the Arborway line in the ground. The tracks that have become part of the route for the Green Line E later, were built in 1859 along the Huntington Avenue from Brigham Circle towards the west to Brookline. 1883 of this route, starting a new part of section built which allowed to travel over existing tracks on Boylston Street to Park Square. 1906 link on the South Huntington Avenue was built with that link the new route at the Huntington on the Centre.

The track on the Huntington Avenue was electrified in 1894. On September 1, 1897, the descent on Boylston Street was opened in the Tremont Street Subway and diverted the cars of the line in these. With the opening of the descent at the Pleasant Street just a month later, the line on the Tremont Street was laid underground.

On June 10, 1901, the Washington Street Elevated opened a line to Dudley Square, which meant that at this point cut off many tram lines and the passengers were forced to switch over to the Washington Street Elevated. This also affected the Jamaica Plain route. The completed on November 22, 1909 enlargement of the Washington Street Elevated up to Forest Hills presented with their course on Washington Street while a faster connection from Arborway to the city center is, however, the trams of the Jamaica Plain took a completely different way and therefore covered other catchment areas, which is why the passenger numbers have remained largely stable.

• No. 39 from the Arborway through the tunnel to the station at Northeastern University and at Brigham Circle
• No. 41 from the depot in Jamaica Plain to the Dudley Square on the Columbus Avenue
• No. 57 from the Heath Street on the Huntington Avenue in the tunnel

A direct connection to the city center offered only the line No. 43, the import from Egleston Square in the tunnel at the Pleasant Street and further led to Columbus Avenue and Tremont Street. The line 41 was set on June 7, 1949 the line 43 on 14 June 1956. The remaining lines 39 and 57 have been renamed Green Line E in 1967.

Over the years many changes to the route were due to a shortage of vehicles, which was caused in particular by the commissioning and popularity of the Green Line D, made. The most profound development there was on December 28, 1985, when the track " temporarily" reduced to Heath Street and the rest of the route was replaced by the number 39 bus, which allowed free transfer using time cards. Their route was extended in back bay in December 1989 to the station and offered thereby following the Orange Line. In 2008, the tracks were paved over in this section to its full length, which is why an actual resumption of operation is very unlikely.

Restoration of the section on the Arborway

To end a lawsuit with the Conservation Law Foundation, agreed with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction ( EOTC ) to reduce the environmental influences which had risen sharply recently in particular by the Big Dig because of increased automobile traffic. In 2000, the required funds were provided and adopted measures that included, among other things, the restoration of the route of the Green Line E from Heath Street to Arborway. This restoration was demanded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, as the city's national air quality standards could not reach.

Later, however, a revised settlement was reached, although it provided for a number of projects to improve regional air quality, but no longer included the restoration of the route of the Green Line E. The EOTC agreed to consider other measures to improve the public transport on the Arborway. Despite intense lobbying by local residents for the restoration of the tram route the tracks were south of Heath Street paved over in 2008. From the Heath Street to Arborway therefore wrong to continue the bus line 39 Forest Hills Station - Back Bay Station via Huntington Avenue.